Remembering to forget
by mnstonecold
Summary: Short sad ficlet. Hope you enjoy...


NCIS

remembering to forget

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Tony's story:

As Tony looked at the empty chair and the cold emptier desk he thought of that night. The smell of gunfire and the color of the blood spilled. He couldn't forget the very thing that the deceased said,

'Don't forget to remember. Don't be sad...'

He reaches into his right side desk drawer and pulls out his badge and gun. He looks at his identification and badge. He feel the rough surface of the shield and remembers why he joined NCIS.

He wanted adventure. He wanted to have fun. But all he has gotten is pain and misery.

He takes the items and walks the long walks to the directors office. He barges in as Gibbs would do and tosses his badge on the desk and places his Sig Sauer on the pile of files.

"Don't ever do that again, DiNozzo!" Leon Vance orders.

"No problem. Consider this my resignation."

Tony walks out as Vance is puzzled at the decision, but understands.

Tony recalls his 'adventures. One lost partner, one blown undercover operation, one blown protection detail, a second partner lost.

He walks out and ends his career in law enforcement.

Abby:

"We never really were close but..." as she begins to break down again. "It's shouldn't of happened. Not again! " she yells as she slams down her hands on the computer keyboard.

All of the evidence from the scene is in bags awaiting processing but Abby is too upset to start.

She walks over and looks at it. The clothes the victim was wearing, the multiple bullet casings, both from the enemies and from the team, and least but not last the bullet slugs the Ducky removed.

She begins, even though she is still crying. After four years, she couldn't help but to remember the good times and bad. They were a family, not just work mates. When a family has tragedy they all recall the times past.

McGee:

McGee buries himself in the data collected form the scene. The computer hard drives, and surveillance tapes. He looks over them as he and the others raided the warehouse. He watches the shots between the enemies and the agents. Then the moment when it happened. An agent was gunned down. He turns of the tapes.

"We'll figure it out. For you, we will find who did this. Gibbs wouldn't let you down, and neither will I."

Ducky:

Sitting at his desk reviewing the autopsy file, Ducky recalls, "You were a mystery in life, my dear, just as much as this one that took you from us."

He reads the diagram of the bullets impacts. Two to the thoracic cavity. Cause of death: GSW.

"Mr. Palmer?" Ducky instinctively asks. He remembers that he left because the autopsy of the team member would be too difficult.

He sips his glass of scotch, and concludes the paperwork on the latest but not the last loss.

Gibbs:

Gibbs is sitting in his basement, sipping his bourbon from a jar the recently held nails and whatnot. He recalls he could have ended it right here. Then the fire fight that occurred three days ago.

The blood had been coming out for a while, as she sputtered to speak. Blood was coming from her mouth as she tried to talk. DiNozzo was holding her.

"Hold on, Ziva. McGee's getting help." he comforted.

"You're not going to die, officer David! That's an order."

"I'm sorry...Gibbs."she whispers. Gibbs gives his stare at her and then kneels down beside her.

"I'll get them, Ziva." he assures.

"I know." she mouths as the blood fills her lungs.

"Wait! We can't give up. Ziva! You're not going to give up! Come on, we're going to watch-"

"I..." she whispers out.

"Ziva! You'll survive. You're a survivor! Don't give up! Don't do this!" Tony yells out as the fear is apparent in his voice.

"Tony..." Gibbs says as they all hold hands. Tony's holding Ziva's blood-covered hands, with Gibbs equally bloody hands on top.

"Love you..." she says as the light begins to fade from her eyes.

"Ziva, I love you too!" responds.

The light fades from her eyes as Tony breaks down. Gibbs feels the life has faded and gets up and begins the long arduous investigation.

He gets up from his chair and takes out his Marine M-40 sniper rifle, loads it and walks up the stairs.

He goes to the place where the intel McGee gave his said the shooter would be. He sets his post and aims. He finds his target. The cross hairs align. He checks the wind and the downgrade of the shot. He squeezes the trigger. The bullet travels at 1200 feet per second as the target falls.

"That's for Ziva." he whispers. He realigns on the second target, checks the shot and fires.

"That one's for me." he says.

"And me..." DiNozzo responds as he is Gibbs spotter.

"We'll remember her."

"We'll remember to forget." Gibbs responds as he knows the pain that they'll carry for the rest of their lives.


End file.
